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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Daily Clips for October 20, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Charlie Crist tags Marco Rubio "extreme right-wing'' tea party favorite in Senate debate
By Beth Reinhard and Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Charlie Crist tried to rattle U.S. Senate frontrunner Marco Rubio by raising new questions about his character in their fourth televised debate, just two weeks before the election.

Bill Clinton shines star power on Kendrick Meek campaign at USF St. Petersburg
By Aaron Sharockman
St. Petersburg Times
Still trying to unify Democrats around his sluggish campaign, U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek got help Tuesday from one of his party's biggest stars, former President Bill Clinton.

Sink and Scott set to collide on TV
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Rick Scott and Alex Sink will meet in two televised debates beginning today that could prove to be pivotal in this year's race for governor.

Driven Sink says she can fix Fla.'s economy
By Mitch Stacy
The Associated Press
When Adelaide "Alex" Sink ran to be Florida's chief financial officer in her first ever election in 2006, she positioned herself as an outsider who would bring her vast banking experience to the task of managing the state's money.

Incoming Fla. House Speaker picks executive-legislative fight over health care
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon sent Gov. Charlie Crist a letter Tuesday telling him to back off implementation of the federal health care law unless state lawmakers give him the go-ahead.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Judge lets grand theft charge stand against former House Speaker Ray Sansom
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
A judge on Tuesday faulted a state attorney's behavior in the case against ousted House Speaker Ray Sansom but said it did not amount to prosecutorial misconduct and declined to dismiss the charges.

POLITICAL RACES

Senate candidates sharpen their attacks in fourth debate
By George Bennett and Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post
Related AP story:
Fla.'s Crist tries to distance himself from Obama
The themes were similar but the elbows were a little sharper as Florida's three Senate candidates debated for the fourth time tonight.

Jennifer Carroll says Rick Scott has no ties to a lobbyist
By Amy Sherman
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Politifact
Rick Scott, the millionaire Republican gubernatorial candidate, is a businessman who has never been elected to public office.

Rick Scott covers familiar territory during Naples stop with Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty
By Ryan Mills
Naples Daily News
Over the past six months, Rick Scott hasn’t spent much time at his Naples home.

Agriculture candidates seek rural, urban votes
By Tamara Lush
The Associated Press
There are a lot of similarities between the two men running for Florida's commissioner of agriculture.

Klein accuses West of thuggery for ousting camera man; West campaign calls man "stalker"
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
Call it "Bikergate," The campaign of U.S. Rep. Ron Klein and the Florida Democratic Party Tuesday once again raised the question of his District 22 GOP challenger Allen West's support from local motorcycle clubs and accused members of those clubs of "thuggish behavior."

Buchanan eclipsing Golden in district race?
By Anthony Cormier
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
When the Rev. James Golden brought an influential U.S. congressman to Lakewood Ranch last month, he hoped the event would lure Democratic supporters and pad his campaign account with some much-needed contributions.

Despite questions, Florida GOP helps pay Norman's legal bills
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times
Even as Jim Norman faced serious questions about the purchase of an Arkansas vacation home, the state Senate candidate was getting a financial vote of confidence from the Republican Party of Florida.

Judge's ruling allows GOP to pick candidate for Norman seat
By Mike Salinero
Tampa Tribune
The judge who disqualified Jim Norman from a state Senate race last week issued a ruling Tuesday that will allow local Republican officials to choose a new nominee for the contest.

Early votes for embattled state Senate candidate Norman up in the air
By Robert Napper
Florida Independent
Votes for embattled Republican state Senate hopeful Jim Norman during early voting will count should he remain on the ballot, but if he is tossed, citizens who voted for him early will not get another chance to make their pick for the seat.

Will party loyalty and blind faith trump Florida's best interests?
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Party loyalty is a powerful motivator in politics.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Redistricting amendments pit Democrats vs. Republicans
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
The battle over how state officials draw up congressional and legislative districts inevitably comes down to incumbents versus those out of power — and money is lining up the same way behind two redistricting ballot measures this fall.

Florida retiree group puts support behind Amendments 5 and 6
By Tony Fransetta
Ft. Myers News-Press
On Nov. 2 voters will have an historic opportunity to vote for meaningful political reform by voting “Yes” on the “Fair Districts” Amendments 5 and 6.

Amendment 8 does not put our children first
By Karin Brown and Latha Krishnaiyer
Tampa Tribune
We are the oldest and largest child advocacy association in this state and nation, so position we take needs to satisfactorily answer this question: "Is this good for all children?"

The case for Amendment 4
By Lesley Blackner
Naples Daily News
Reckless over-development has crashed our economy, plummeted home values, threatened our quality of life, paved over Florida’s natural beauty and led to higher taxes.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Study projects 400,000 jobs, $46 billion economic boost could come from restoring Everglades
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
That's the message of a new economic study commissioned by environmentalists, which concludes that stepped up Everglades restoration would result in hundreds of thousands of new jobs and a more than $46 billion boost to Florida's economy.

Crews move to next level of beach cleaning
By Travis Griggs
Pensacola News Journal
Oil spill cleanup crews in Florida and Alabama began digging this week to uncover oil buried under beaches during the BP spill.

Environment should benefit from BP fines
By Jackie Bueno Sousa
Miami Herald
Six months ago, environmentalists, government officials and BP workers began scrambling in what would become a long, stressful effort to soak up and contain a historic oil spill.

Oil spill victims tell tales of waiting, and waiting, for compensation
By Andrew Restuccia
Florida Independent
For more than seven weeks, Jeannie Mathis has been waiting for a check from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, the independent entity charged with doling out the money BP set aside to compensate victims of the gulf oil spill. And for seven weeks, her claim has been “under review.”

Natural Gas, a Natural Choice
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
In five year’s time natural gas could start phasing out diesel in Florida. NoPetro, a California based natural gas provider, is promising 12 fueling stations in strategic locations throughout Florida.

LGBT

Military recruiters told to accept gay applicants in wake of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ruling
By Anne Flaherty
The Associated Press
The Defense Department said Tuesday that it is accepting openly gay recruits, but is warning applicants they might not be allowed to stick around for long.

'Don't ask, don't tell' shift catches South Florida recruiters by surprise
By Carol Rosenberg
Miami Herald
The Pentagon said Tuesday that it had issued orders to military recruiters to accept enlistment papers from openly gay applicants -- a stopgap measure while it seeks to reinstate its beleaguered 'don't ask, don't tell policy.

EDUCATION

Education initiative has eye on Latino vote
By Margaret Talev and Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
Two weeks before elections in which Democrats in several states are nervous that depressed turnout by Latino voters could cost them their jobs, President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed an executive order to improve Hispanic children's educational opportunities.

Toxic schools: Grand jury laid out mold problem; lawmakers didn't act
By Denise-Marie Balona
Orlando Sentinel
In 2003, a grand jury blasted the Broward County school system for taking too long to get rid of mold in classrooms and failing to repair leaky roofs and faulty air conditioners.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

State reinsurer remains in good shape at end of hurricane season
By Gary Fineout
Florida Tribune
A new round of estimates for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund conclude that the state-created reinsurer remains on solid financial footing with a little more than a month left in the 2010 hurricane season.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Speaker reins in action on health law
By Jim Saunders
Health News Florida
Incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon today clamped down on state agencies carrying out the federal health-reform law, arguing that lawmakers need to be more involved in making decisions.

State agency once again raises idea of taxes on HMOs and hospitals
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Tribune
A state agency has suggested again that one way that lawmakers could balance the budget is to generate more than $425 million in taxes on HMOs and hospitals.

Discussing Florida’s crisis pregnancy centers with state Rep. Plakon
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
The website of state Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, who is running unopposed for reelection, states that Plakon “unequivocally supports any legislation created for the protection of all human life, in the womb and outside it.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Cutting court funding would hurt Florida
By Mayanne Downs
Daytona Beach News-Journal
The Florida Bar joins those who are disturbed by the process by which the new 1st District Court of Appeal building was funded.


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